bereavement

My sweet Jacob suddenly and unexpectedly passed away on April 3rd. He was fine a few days earlier, then acted a little sluggish and wasn’t eating as much for a day, and the next thing I know we are in the ICU at the Michigan State University Veterinary School. He was crashing and all I was told was that it was a very fast moving cancer, but they didn’t know what the cancer was. Two weeks earlier, he had full lab work-ups done and there were no problems. So after a lot of questions, little answers, and veterinarians who were baffled by what caused the sudden crash, it was clear that Jacob was passing before my eyes so I held him as we let him go.

Jacob is not the only pet who passed away in the past 3 months. An unusually large number of pets and people have passed on (many unexpectedly) …. and the number is well over 30 just for who I know. I’m searching to find the meaning in all of it. I believe that everyone decides at the soul level when it’s their time to pass on. But why so many in the past 3 months? It’s like they are going in clusters. Do they feel they will be of more service to us in spirit? Do they know something we humans don’t know? It has prompted a lot of discussions but little answers.

What I’ve done in the past month to process the grief, cope with the loss and missing the pitter patter of Jacob’s feet, and to keep my multi-businesses afloat, I have turned to a couple of tools to help me process grief.

The first thing I did was reach for my essential oils. The oils that have truly helped me through this difficult time have been Acceptance (to accept what has happened), Frankincense (which comes in the starter kit and it works on the lung meridian where we store the energy of grief), Gratitude (to be grateful for the time that we had with our loved one) and Joy (because our loved one would want us moving forward in joy and happiness). I was in shock, angry and then numb for about 3 weeks. I used my oily religiously and then it all lifted. By diffusing these oils, I know they have also helped my cat Rudy who deeply loved Jacob.

My favorite ways to utilize the oils for emotional help is to smell them. The oils go into the limbic region of the brain where we store emotions. So diffusing the oils or placing the oils in your hand and inhaling are two powerful techniques to process the energy of difficult emotions.

Next, I placed a ginormous Rose Quartz and Selenite on my bedroom nightstand so that the loving and soothing energy of those crystals would surround me at night.

And then I simply kept talking to Jacob. Just because a person or pet has passed on does not mean that their spirit is not nearby. In the past 6 weeks there have been so many Jacob “sightings” based on Rudy’s reactions. Rudy will start to spontaneously play in a location where he and Jacob would rumble. Rudy will jump up and start to chase something that I cannot see. And Rudy will stare down a hallway as if Jacob is there. I also “see” Jacob out of the corner of my eye. So keep talking to your loved one because they have not left your side.

And if you’re still struggling with overwhelming grief and feel that you cannot move on, please talk with a professional and combine that therapy with an energy healing session. Together, it can be a powerful combination of transformation.

I am sharing this because we all have lost someone and if we do not process the grief, it can cause a host of emotional, mental and physical problems (because grief stores in the lungs). Essential oils, crystals and continued connection to your loved one can help you through it. Even if you have grief from long ago, give these techniques a try.

So while we grapple with the why, the what if’s, and retracing steps to try to identify signs or ways that a different road could have been taken, at some point we all have to grieve and release it. So I wanted to share my story that even in the midst of grief, there is hope and happiness.

Jacob and Rudy, very bonded brothers and best friends

I am so grateful and happy that I had my floppy-eared blue-eyed Jacob in my life, even just for less than 5 years. Everyone who came to my homes in Virginia and Michigan met him because he was a big part of every energy healing and essential oil class. I now can look at his photos and smile and I truly feel his presence still in our home.

About Allie Phillips:

Allie is a unique combination of self-empowerment coach (Certified Law of Attraction Counselor and Life Coach), energy therapist (Usui Reiki Master-Teacher, Fairy Reiki Master, Integrated Energy Therapy Master-Instructor, and Advanced Crystal Master), Certified Fairyologist, Young Living essential oil Silver Leader educator, award-winning book author, attorney and nationally-recognized animal advocate. Whether it’s wanting more freedom, creativity, loving relationships, financial security, wellbeing, relaxation, or adjusting to the energy of our new world … she looks at each person and animal holistically and creates a well-being plan. She combines methods to help people gain control of their lives and to help animals live with comfort in our hectic world. And she particularly loves helping our animal companions because for those of us who have them grace our worlds, they are our soul mates.